BMW and Volkswagen to Install 100 High-speed Charging Stations

Posted by Katya Mikova on 23 January 2015, 04:25 PM

Two automotive giants, BMW and Volkswagen, are teaming up to install a network of 100 high-speed charging stations by ChargePoint on the east and west coasts of the US. They will be open to all electric vehicles which are fitted with the standard SAE J1772 or CHAdeMO plug.

Addressing one of the biggest issues related to electric cars, precisely, the lack of enough chargers, the manufacturers mentioned above are in fact trying to fix the unpleasant current situation. Is this a subtle way, though, of promoting their electric models and making more customers buy them? Or is this just an idea born out of pure intentions concerned with the convenience of driving? It does not really matter when drivers are the ones who will benefit a lot thanks to the easier charging which will be provided.

BMW and Volkswagen are inspired by Tesla Motors since it has its own network of high-speed chargers in the Northeast corridor and in California. Still, its proprietary technology can be used by Tesla cars only which is quite inconvenient really, isn't it?

Planning to build one charging point every 50 miles or so, Volkswagen and BMW will provide each station with two 50 kW DC or 24 kW DC fast chargers. Such machines are only available in 120 spots among the 20,000 ChargePoint locations across the country.

The successful implementation of this plan would bring easy access to fast, public charging points. As a result, traveling in an electric car, like the BMW i3 for instance, would be as pleasant and smooth as traveling in any other gas-powered vehicle.